Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Here they are... my favorite pure horror movies. I left out movies (like "Jaws") which I consider to be more drama, even though they are terrifying.

10. Saw (2004)

So completely original at the time. A great twist. Horrific deaths. Tension throughout.

9. The Wicker Man (1973)

Unlike the 2006 remake, the creep vibe grows and grows throughout this film. Led by Edward Woodward as the police sergeant searching for a missing girl, the film culminates in pure helpless terror.

8. Let The Right One In (2008)

The right balance of horror and story, this Swedish movie of a bullied boy and his strange neighbor has everything - bloody deaths, strong characters and tight plot.

7. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

When I was a kid, this classic scared the living crap out of me. Obviously, it wasn't the effects or acting. It was theme - the loss of identity (which will pop-up later in this list.) Love the final scene.

6. 28 Days Later... (2002)

This film is dark and horrifying but still manages to make a turn toward its end that makes us see who the real monsters are.

5. The Shining (1980)

This Stanley Kubrick film relies on a strange visuals, great acting and eerie mood to tell the story of a man who slowly goes insane while the caretaker of a remote resort. The pacing of the film is methodical, drawing you in to a dream-like state.

4. Alien (1979)

This horror tale in outer space burst onto the scene (no pun intended) in 1979. It's use of the dark and isolation showed what a true filmmaker could do with the genre.

3. Halloween (1978)

The movie which launched a genre, Halloween set the standard for what horror was for 20 years or more. Great pacing and an expressionless killer with no obvious agenda makes this movie hold up.

2. The Devil's Rejects (2005)

As sick as this movie is, it's actually a road movie wrapped in the horror genre. A sequel to the lesser "House of 1000 Corpses," this film starts with the most depraved main characters you've ever seen and makes you like them by the end. This is one of my favorite scenes, if nothing else for the humor.

1. The Thing (1982)

Do we really know the people around us? Loss of identity of ourselves and our comrades. That's what drives this John Carpenter classic. Great special effects, another isolated location and a solid story make this my favorite horror movie of all time.